Institutional portal - Municipality of Milan

One hundred portraits by Gerald Bruneau to tell the story of the excellence of Italian scholars

Milan, September 29 2020 – The photographic exhibition "A life as a scientist", promoted by the Municipality of Milan - Culture and by the Civic Aquarium hydrobiological station, conceived and curated by the Bracco Foundation, opens to the public from today in the rooms of the Civic Aquarium. The exhibition presents the faces and skills of great Italian scientists, protagonists of the "#100experts - 100 women against stereotypes" project, created to enhance female expertise in sectors often still perceived as a male domain.

The portrait journey, created by the famous photographer, was designed to contribute to overcoming prejudices in scientific practice and is an integral part of the "The talents of women" program, of which the Bracco Foundation is the Main Partner. Promoted by the Culture Department of the Municipality of Milan, the multidisciplinary program aims to promote female creativity in all fields, with proposals that will extend until April 2021.

The exhibition "A life as a scientist" also has a multidisciplinary character: the stories of life and career paths concern various STEM (Science, technology, engineering and mathematics) disciplines. Biologists, chemists, pharmacologists, engineers, astrophysicists, mathematicians, surgeons, paleontologists, computer scientists: these are just some of the professions, conducted at the highest levels, of the scientists photographed. Observing each portrait is like crossing a threshold, which gives access to protected, private environments, to spaces for research and thought. They are the workplaces of the experts: laboratories, universities, clinics, where every day women and men work to push the boundaries of knowledge.

The aim of the exhibition is to communicate to the general public female excellence in science, inspiring young generations with approachable role models and contributing to overcoming gender stereotypes that still affect scientific practice.

Numerous studies on the presence of women in information demonstrate that women are rarely consulted by the media as experts. It is almost always men who explain and interpret the world: in 82% of cases according to the national results of the Global media monitoring project 2015. To contribute to the achievement of equal opportunities, in which merit is the distinguishing factor for career and visibility, in 2016 saw the birth of the “100 women against stereotypes” project, conceived by the Pavia Observatory and the Gi.U.Li.A. Association, developed with the Bracco Foundation and with the support of the European Commission Representation in Italy.

Alongside the online database and two volumes published by Egea, which collect the excellent profiles of women experts in various sectors of knowledge, the Bracco Foundation proposes, with the exhibition "A life as a scientist", a complementary narrative, with the aim of to bring the general public closer to the female face of research through some of the greatest Italian scientists of today, and at the same time to represent science as beauty, accessibility and, why not, fun.

A life as a scientist. The faces of the #100experts Project

The visit to the exhibition is included in the entrance ticket to the Aquarium.

For information and registration: 02 - Tickets: 5 euros full, 3 euros reduced.

The talents of women: all the 2020 events in Milan dedicated to the theme of women